Billboard



W. KELLY.

' BILLBOARD. I APPLICATION FILE D JUNE I4. .1922. 1,437,315. Pamnted Nov. 28, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

W. KELLY.

BILLBOARD. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 14. I922.

1,437,315. PatentedN0v.v28,1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

li atente Nov. 28, 1922.

i} HQ. I

T NT

BILLBOARD.

Application filed June 14, 1922. Serial No. 568,212.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WAIJrER KELLY,- a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Uvalde, in the county of Uvalde and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Billboards, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to sign boards, and particularly to such boards as are used for field display or that are used in exposed places subjected to the action of wind pressure.

It is well known that where signs are built and the advertising surfaces thereof are formed by rigid structures, the posts and framework have to be very strongly made and anchored to prevent distortion, or their collapse, due to high winds.

It is an object of this invention to provide novel means whereby sign boards may be oscillatably suspended to be slightly displaced when the wind pressure becomes excessive, in order that the displacement will reduce the resistance to the wind pressure, and to a great extent, remove strain from the anchorages and framework.

It is an object of the invention to produce a frame structure having panels or openings in which sign boards may be oscillatably or hingedly mounted or suspended, in order that the said boards can swing to relieve the pressure, as described.

It is a further object of this invention to provide board suspending means, the anchorages of which are so braced as to prove effective in preventing sagging of the anchorages, or the impairment of the operation of the boards.

It is a still further object of this inven tion to provide means whereby the sign boards will be supported from vertical members of a truss, and the provision of bracing devices for strengthening the truss and bracing the posts of the structure. I

With the foregoing and. other objects in View, the invention consists in the details of construction, and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail, ref erence will be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this application, wherein like characters denote corresponding parts in the several views, and in which- Figure 1 illustrates a view in perspective of a sectional sign board embodying the invention;

Figure 2 illustrates a front elevation thereof with the facing board removed;

Figure 3 illustrates a sectional view of a sign showing the means for suspending it, in perspective, and

Figure 4 illustrates a detailed perspective view of a fragment of the device.

In building the framework, provision may be made for mounting any number of boards, it being only necessary to multiply the posts and structures therebetween that constitute the supports for the boards, and hence the invention will be described with this in view.

In these drawings, a plurality of posts 5 are employed spaced apart a suitable distance, and they are preferably firmly anchored in the ground.

Trusses are built and secured to the outer surfaces of the posts so that they may be removed, should it be desirable to change their locations without necessitating the expense of removing the posts.

In the present embodiment of the invention, the trusses and supporting structure for the signs comprise two beams 6 and 7 for each truss, the said beams supporting the pairs of oppositely inclined members 8 and 9 between which the vertical members or posts 10 are secured. The members 3 and 9 have interlocking joints with the beams as shown at 11 and these relations of parts produce a strong supporting structure. of members embrace the sides of the posts and may be secured to the posts by appropriate fastenings 12 such as screws or the like, the removal of which fastenings will permit the supporting structure and trusses to be disassociated from the posts.

Hanger straps 13 are attached to the vertical elements 10 and their loops extend preferably longitudinally of the board. which they are intended to support.

The sign boards are of a configuration that fit in the openings of the frame structure, and these boards have a plurality of looped hangers 1.5 that engage and are supported by the hangers 13. The hangers 15 have their ends lying on opposite sides of the frame 16 of the board, and the said hangers are connected to the frame by pivots 17 so that there is a slight independent movement of the board relative to its hanger permitted at these joints. The

Pairs boards are suspended directly from the trusses but there is no liability of sagging oi the trusses, on account of the fact that the construction is of a nature to support the load incident to the suspension of the boards Without liability of their being impaired.

A facing board 18 is attached to the structure above each sign board, and it is of a configuration to cover the trusses to produce a finished efi'e'c't and present surfaces Which may bear advertising matter, if desired.

It follows from an inspection of the drawing and from the foregoing description that the board supporting structures may be readily applied to or removed from the posts, and that these parts will be assembled in a shop and conveniently transported on trucks, and that they can be speedily attached to posts that have been previously set for their support.

By reasonof this construction and arrangement of parts, efficient advertising or bill boards can be manufactured and erected expeditiously and inexpensively, Whereas the advantages attending the arrangement of parts will it is thought, he understood by those skilled in the art.

It will be noted that a device made in accordance with this invention Will carry one hundred square feet of bill posting space to each section, in addition to the advertising space on the framework. In instances Where the bill board is placed in parks or roads, both sides of the device may be used adding to the desirability of the invention.

I claim;

In a bill board, posts in spaced relation to one another, r'emovably applied trusses extending from one post to another, including means for securing the trusses to the posts, vertically disposed elements associated with the said trusses, a hanger suspended from each said element, bill boards fitted in the spaces between the posts having hangers os cillatably supported from the first lnention'ed hangers, and means for osc'illatably connecting the second mentioned hangers to the bill boards.

VALTER KELLY. 

